Al Gore, with reported $200 million, almost as rich as Mitt Romney

Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore speaks during an interview at the annual Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills last month. He's a $200-million man, according to a published report.

Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore speaks during an interview at the annual Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills last month. He's a $200-million man, according to a published report. (Jonathan Alcorn / Bloomberg)

Gore, the environmental activist and former U.S. vice president, has amassed a net worth that may exceed $200 million, according to an analysis by Bloomberg. That’s not far from the roughly $250 million net worth of Romney, who came up short in his 2012 presidential bid.

Though best known for his crusading environmental efforts, Gore also appears to be adept at making money.

He pocketed a cool $70 million in January when the Current TV network was sold to Al Jazeera. Gore owned a 20% stake in the channel, Bloomberg reported.

Gore made an additional $30 million by exercising shares of Apple Inc., the story said. He’s been a director of the technology giant since 2003.

The report, however, doesn’t give Gore much credit for his accumulated wealth, saying he’s more a beneficiary of political connections and fortuitous circumstances than business acumen.

“How Gore achieved this is as much about timing and luck as it is about business skills,” according to the report. “His Apple board tenure has coincided with a 5,900 percent increase in its stock price."

"Current TV was a moribund 'fixer-upper' when Al Jazeera stepped in to buy it at ‘a huge valuation,’” according to an analyst quoted in the report.

“Gore also had his share of flubs, most of them in his efforts at green-tech investing,” the report said.

It's comes to no surprise to residents of the commonwealth that Virginia is growing. Like many fast-growing Southern states, Virginians appear to love sprawled-out cities and suburbs, according to recent 2014 U.S. Census estimates.